Golden Ball Winners and the FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup winners are an elite group. And European Player of the Year honors ("Ballon d'Or" or Golden Ball) winners are another rare group - only one player each year. But in spite of the big-name winners of the Ballon d'Or, a winner has never been able to go on to capture the FIFA World Cup the following year for his country. Over the entire history of the award since 1956, see the results below. Some are calling it the "jinx" or "curse" of the Golden Ball. The European Player of the Year announced at the end of the year has never gone on to win the World Cup the following year. By contrast, numerous World Cup winners have then succeeded in capturing the European Player of the Year honors for that same year. The FIFA World Player of the Year Award has been around since 1991, and the same holds true with this award - so far. The awards were merged in 2010 (then unmerged in 2016) - full results are shown in the table below.

Year

World Cup Host

World Cup Champion

World Cup Golden Ball

Ballon d'Or Winner (Europe)

Country (pink = jinx)

Club

FIFA World Player of the Year

Country (pink = jinx)

Club

1956

-

-

-

Stanley Matthews

England

Blackpool

-

-

-

1957

-

-

-

Alfredo di Stefano

Spain

Real Madrid

-

-

-

1958

Sweden

Brazil

-

Raymond Kopa

France

Real Madrid

-

-

-

1959

-

-

-

Alfredo di Stefano

Spain

Real Madrid

-

-

-

1960

-

-

-

Luis Suarez

Spain

Barcelona

-

-

-

1961

-

-

-

Omar Sivori

Italy

Juventus

-

-

-

1962

Chile

Brazil

-

Josef Masopust

Czech

Dukla, Prague

-

-

-

1963

-

-

-

Lev Yashin

USSR

Dynamo Moscow

-

-

-

1964

-

-

-

Denis Law

England

Manchester United

-

-

-

1965

-

-

-

Eusebio

Portugal

Benfica of Lisbon

-

-

-

1966

England

England

-

Bobby Charlton

England

Manchester United

-

-

-

1967

-

-

-

Florian Albert

Hungary

Ferencvaros

-

-

-

1968

-

-

-

George Best

Northern Ireland

Manchester United

-

-

-

1969

-

-

-

Gianni Rivera

Italy

AC Milan

-

-

-

Year

World Cup Host

World Cup Champion

World Cup Golden Ball

Ballon d'Or Winner (Europe)

Country (pink = jinx)

Club

FIFA World Player of the Year

Country (pink = jinx)

Club

1970

Mexico

Brazil

-

Gerd Muller

Germany

Bayern Munich

-

-

-

1971

-

-

-

Johan Cruyff

Netherlands

Ajax Amsterdam

-

-

-

1972

-

-

-

Franz Beckenbauer

West Germany

Bayern Munich

-

-

-

1973

-

-

-

Johan Cruyff

Netherlands

Barcelona

-

-

-

1974

West Germany

West Germany

-

Johan Cruyff

Netherlands

Barcelona

-

-

-

1975

-

-

-

Oleg Blokhin

USSR

Dynamo Kiev

-

-

-

1976

-

-

-

Franz Beckenbauer

West Germany

Bayern Munich

-

-

-

1977

-

-

-

Allen Simonsen

Denmark

Borussia Moenchengladbach

-

-

-

1978

Argentina

Argentina

-

Kevin Keegan

England

Hamburger S.V.

-

-

-

1979

-

-

-

Kevin Keegan

England

Hamburger S.V.

-

-

-

1980

-

-

-

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge

West Germany

Bayern Munich

-

-

-

1981

-

-

-

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge

West Germany

Bayern Munich

-

-

-

1982

Spain

Italy

Paolo Rossi

Paolo Rossi

Italy

Juventus

-

-

-

1983

-

-

-

Michel Platini

France

Juventus

-

-

-

1984

-

-

-

Michel Platini

France

Juventus

-

-

-

1985

-

-

-

Michel Platini

France

Juventus

-

-

-

1986

Mexico

Argentina

Diego Maradona

Igor Belanov

USSR

Dynamo Kiev

-

-

-

1987

-

-

-

Ruud Gullit

Netherlands

AC Milan

-

-

-

1988

-

-

-

Marco Van Basten

Netherlands

AC Milan

-

-

-

1989

-

-

-

Marco Van Basten

Netherlands

AC Milan

-

-

-

Year

World Cup Host

World Cup Champion

World Cup Golden Ball

Ballon d'Or Winner (Europe)

Country (pink = jinx)

Club

FIFA World Player of the Year

Country (pink = jinx)

Club

1990

Italy

West Germany

Salvatore Schillaci

Lothar Matthaus

West Germany

Inter Milan

-

-

-

1991

-

-

-

Jean-Pierre Papin

France

Marseille

Lothar Matthaus

West Germany

Inter Milan

1992

-

-

-

Marco Van Basten

Netherlands

AC Milan

Marco Van Basten

Netherlands

AC Milan

1993

-

-

-

Roberto Baggio

Italy

Juventus

Roberto Baggio

Italy

Juventus

1994

USA

Brazil

Romario

Hristo Stoichkov

Bulgaria

Barcelona

Romario

Brazil

Barcelona

1995

-

-

-

George Weah

Liberia

AC Milan

George Weah

Liberia

AC Milan

1996

-

-

-

Matthias Sammer

Germany

Borussia Dortmund

Ronaldo

Brazil

Barcelona

1997

-

-

-

Ronaldo

Brazil

Inter Milan

Ronaldo

Brazil

Inter Milan

1998

France

France

Ronaldo

Zinedine Zidane

France

Juventus

Zinedine Zidane

France

Juventus

1999

-

-

-

Rivaldo

Brazil

Barcelona

Rivaldo

Brazil

Barcelona

2000

-

-

-

Luis Figo

Portugal

Real Madrid

Zinedine Zidane

France

Juventus

Year

World Cup Host

World Cup Champion

World Cup Golden Ball

Ballon d'Or Winner (Europe)

Country (pink = jinx)

Club

FIFA World Player of the Year

Country (pink = jinx)

Club

2001

-

-

-

Michael Owen

England

Liverpool

Luis Figo

Portugal

Real Madrid

2002

Korea/Japan

Brazil

Oliver Kahn

Ronaldo

Brazil

Real Madrid

Ronaldo

Brazil

Real Madrid

2003

-

-

-

Pavel Nedved

Czech Republic

Juventus

Zinedine Zidane

France

Real Madrid

2004

-

-

-

Andrei Shevchenko

Ukraine

AC Milan

Ronaldinho

Brazil

Barcelona

2005

-

-

-

Ronaldinho

Brazil

Barcelona

Ronaldinho

Brazil

Barcelona

2006

Germany

Italy

Zinedine Zidane

Fabio Cannavaro

Italy

Juventus / Real Madrid

Fabio Cannavaro

Italy

Juventus / Real Madrid

2007

-

-

-

Kaka

Brazil

AC Milan

Kaka

Brazil

AC Milan

2008

-

-

-

Cristiano Ronaldo

Portugal

Manchester United

Cristiano Ronaldo

Portugal

Manchester United

2009

-

-

-

Lionel Messi

Argentina

Barcelona

Lionel Messi

Argentina

Barcelona

2010

South Africa

Spain

Diego Forlan

Lionel Messi

Argentina

Barcelona

<-- (See Ballon d'Or)

-

-

2011

-

-

-

Lionel Messi

Argentina

Barcelona

<-- (See Ballon d'Or)

-

-

2012

-

-

-

Lionel Messi

Argentina

Barcelona

<-- (See Ballon d'Or)

-

-

Year

World Cup Host

World Cup Champion

World Cup Golden Ball

Ballon d'Or Winner (Europe)

Country (pink = jinx)

Club

FIFA The Best Player

Country (pink = jinx)

Club

2013

-

-

-

Cristiano Ronaldo

Portugal

Real Madrid

<-- (See Ballon d'Or)

-

-

2014

Brazil

Germany

Lionel Messi

Cristiano Ronaldo

Portugal

Real Madrid

<-- (See Ballon d'Or)

-

-

2015

-

-

-

Lionel Messi

Argentina

Barcelona

<-- (See Ballon d'Or)

-

-

2016

-

-

-

Cristiano Ronaldo

Portugal

Real Madrid

Cristiano Ronaldo

Portugal

Real Madrid

2017

-

-

-

Cristiano Ronaldo

Portugal

Real Madrid

Cristiano Ronaldo

Portugal

Real Madrid

2018

Russia

France

Luka Modric

TBD

-

-

Luka Modric

Croatia

Real Madrid

The FIFA world player of the Year and European Ballon D'Or were merged beginning in 2010, when Lionel Messi won it for the 2nd straight year. FIFA then created The Best FIFA Player award for 2016, when Cristiano Ronaldo won it.

In Latin America, the border between soccer and politics is vague. There is a long list of governments that have fallen or been overthrown after the defeat of the national team. - Luis Suarez - 1960 Spain